-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- One tornado stayed on the ground for 95 miles as it tore through towns in Kentucky and West Virginia . Two other twisters left behind 49-mile paths of destruction .

The dynamically charged nature of Friday 's atmosphere created an ideal environment for producing long-track , devastating tornadoes , according to the National Weather Service .

Officials from the weather service identified at least 45 separate tornadoes in last week 's deadly outbreak across the Midwest and South . The unusually severe storm system affected millions of people in 10 states , officials said .

Neighborhoods were flattened . Schools were in ruins . Dozens died .

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The strongest tornado appears to be the one that hit Henryville , Indiana , with maximum winds at 175 mph . That tornado stayed on the ground for 49 miles across Washington , Scott , Clark and Jefferson counties in Indiana and Trimble County in Kentucky .

The twister rated EF-4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale , which weather service officials use to measure the intensity of tornadoes and the damage they are likely to cause .

In Henryville , a school bus hurtled into a restaurant .

The walls of Stephanie Decker 's home crashed down . As she scrambled to protect her sons , the wreckage broke seven of her ribs and severed both of her legs .

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Winds scattered Lori Lynch 's most treasured possessions . A woman found her high school diploma in Cincinnati -- more than 100 miles away , CNN affiliate WAVE reported .

The EF-3 tornado that struck the small town of West Liberty , Kentucky , packed winds of 140 mph and stuck to the earth for 95 miles -- 60 miles in Kentucky and 35 miles into West Virginia .

The twister left normally tranquil West Liberty looking like `` a war zone , '' Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear told reporters Sunday .

National Guard troops helped the town comb through debris while authorities investigated storm fatalities .

`` In all the years I 've been coroner , I 've never seen bodies in the condition they 're in , '' said Raymond Van Cleave , the coroner for Morgan County , Kentucky .

Just 20 miles south of West Liberty , another long-track EF-3 tornado swept through Salyersville , Kentucky , packing 160 mph winds . That twister was also on the ground for 49 miles , with a 48-mile track through Kentucky and an additional mile into West Virginia , officials said .

It struck a group of rescuers who were heading to West Liberty , throwing their truck across the street .

`` It kept peppering us with debris and rocks and dirt and stuff . It was just something unreal . I 'd never been through anything like that , '' 1st Lt. Tommy Hereford told CNN affiliate WLEX .

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The 45 twisters confirmed by the weather service were among 144 reports of tornadoes , which may include multiple reports of the same tornado , in last week 's outbreak , which started Friday .

By the time calm returned Saturday , 41 were dead : 23 in Kentucky , 13 in Indiana , three in Ohio , and one each in Alabama and Georgia .

Federal and local officials were still assessing the damage Wednesday .

Less than 1 % of the tornadoes that form each year reach EF-4 or EF-5 intensity , and few are on the ground for more than a few miles .

The tornado with the longest recorded path in U.S. history was the Tri-State Tornado of 1925 , which was rated an F-5 on the Fujita scale -- the previous model for tornado intensity -- and was on the ground for 219 miles over a 3Â 1/2 - hour period . That twister still stands as the single deadliest tornado , responsible for 695 deaths when it tore through Missouri , Illinois and Indiana .

The Joplin , Missouri , tornado on May 22 , 2011 , was the deadliest tornado the United States has seen in the last 60 years , with 161 dead .

CNN 's Alanne Orjoux and Sandra Endo contributed to this report .

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High-intensity tornadoes are rarely on the ground for more than a few miles

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A twister that hit West Liberty , Kentucky , stayed on the ground for 95 miles

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Two other tornadoes left behind 49-mile paths of destruction

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Last week 's tornadoes killed 41 people across 10 states